Play That Funky Music, Cyborg

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Gil Weinberg, who we met a few months ago at Georgia Tech, has a mission: to make it easy for amputees and the disabled to play beautiful music. His first project is a drumming prosthesis, a system that allows a user who is missing a hand to play improvise as well as the jazz greats.

The arm attaches to an amputee’s stump and allows him or her to play the drums. A second stick keeps time and improvises based on the music being played, adding fills and trills galore. It’s like having a little extra hand attached to your real hand and it’s really cool.

Interestingly, the player isn’t just bashing away with the main stick. The system has a built-in electromyography muscle sensor that triggers lighter and harder taps.